Far Far Away
by AdrenaVeris
Summary: AU This is the story of an unwitting heroine's journey to rescue a very unconventional damsel in distress. Just what kind of obstacles will they encounter? A -random- story written to celebrate Mio's birthday.
1. Prologue  A Heroine's Humble Origin

**A/N:** Happy birthday, Mio! Instead of a solemn story I originally planned, this light-hearted one was written instead. It's a product born of stress and too much coffee, and it has nothing to do with the birthday theme…

Anyways, I have to say it's nice to write something that doesn't have to make sense once a while :3 As short as the chapters are, I feel it's best to separate them (because I couldn't finish the whole thing in time OTL but at least each one is already outlined)

Reminder that this story is AU, mixed certain references that will be fairly obvious as the story goes on.

Without further ado, let me welcome you to this random tale!

Disclaimer: I don't own K-on, as well as the references used throughout the story

Warning: 'wtf' components within the plot

Thanks to ghikiJ for beta :3

* * *

><p>"My prince! Please sign my heels!"<p>

Lustrous black strands billowed behind a tall girl as she sprinted down the gravel path, frightened and confused by the persistence of her pursuer. She hastily turned corner and almost knocked down a vendor setting up the stall.

"I'm sorry about that," the girl held out a hand to steady the person before she resumed running.

"What's going on?" The vendor's husband asked.

"Oh, it's just the usual, dear. A fangirl went wild again."

The moment the elderly woman uttered the reply, an orange-haired girl dashed after her prey in an incredible speed impossible for someone wearing a pair of glass heels.

"Please wait up!"

The said prey squeaked fearfully and increased her pace, not daring to look back. She was grateful that she accidentally wore her father's boots instead of her usual footwear, which was the only reason that she was able to escape her pursuer's clutches so far. Originally, she planned to find a secluded spot to enjoy a paperback novel in peace and perhaps even write some lyrics, so why did this happen?

Little did she know, the chase was only the beginning of her story.

A legend to be passed down through generations, a tale like no other…

…in many ways.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Prologue – A Heroine's Humble Origin**

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Akiyama Romio, or commonly known as Mio by her peers, came from an ordinary family and should have remained an inconspicuous civilian in this humble little tale.

However, Fate decided to have Its fun and simply dropped dilemmas one after another on the poor girl.

Apparently, her demeanor and princely aura garnered the attention of fellow village girls and boys, and she even won the respect of the local wealthy merchants through her intelligence unexpected of a commoner like her. Years went by and Mio grew up into a gorgeous lady and gained even greater popularity that formed into a fanclub.

Which caused the raven-haired beauty's current predicament.

"Akiyama-san, you're my destined one! Marry me!"

Grey-blue eyes flashed in alarm at the hysterical call and almost caused Mio to trip. She ran and ran, confused as to why she was being chased by someone she barely knew. Those glass heels, however, looked just like the ones she threw away yesterday because they didn't fit her anymore. But why did Miss Megumi have them and why did this mean they must get married?

It didn't make sense! All she wanted was peace and quiet!

But much to her horror, more and more over-zealous admirers joined the chase and forced her out of the alleyways into the main street. Before she knew it, she was cornered against the infamous landmark of this little village.

The giant strawberry.

Legend said that the colossal fruit existed long before people settled here. It never went bad even as decades and centuries went by, and no one ever tried to understand its mysteries. It was as if the details were meant to be unsolved, a plot hole deliberately overlooked by the writer of this tale.

Anyways, Mio was completely trapped by her fans and, judging from the weird gleams in their eyes, she knew she did not have long until they pounced on her like a pack of hungry predators. She desperately looked around her for any means of protection, anything she could use to fight off these unreasonable fanatics. When she spotted a strange yellow object sticking out of the enormous strawberry, she instinctively pulled and freed it from the fruit.

The crescent-shaped object was roughly the size of a banana, but she did not have time to ponder any further because a blinding light suddenly enveloped the item.

The noise around her faded. The fans stopped advancing. Each and every single one of them was staring at the floating object with their mouths agape because…

… it started speaking!

"Phew, finally! I was starting to think I'd never be freed!"

Mio was so shocked that she couldn't even scream at this supernatural occurrence. Her erratic gasps, however, seemed to draw the talking article's attention.

"You! Did you pull me from that damnable strawberry?"

Still speechless, Mio nodded timidly and wondered when she would wake up from this bizarre nightmare. Why weren't the fans saying anything? Then again, everyone must be as stunned as she was, witnessing this absurd phenomenon spinning exuberantly in mid-air.

"My name is Jurietsu, a princess!" The object wiggled smugly, "That's right, you commoners, this is royalty you're speaking to!"

"... princess?" The raven-haired girl managed to croak as her short-circuited brain successfully rebooted.

"Yup! You must be so amazed, aren't you?"

"…not really-"

"I see my awesome presence is too much for you poor thing," the talking wonder bobbed slowly, in a motion akin to a human nodding, "But being the kind and lovely girl I am, you may call me Ritsu!"

Mio's eyebrow twitched. Her surprise and involuntary fear of the unknown object were rapidly fading due to this inexplicable irritation with the speaker. Her rational side was kicking in, thankfully, so she must try to make as much sense as possible to ease her growing migraine.

"Okay…what are you then? And where did you come from?"

"What do you mean what am I? I already said-" Ritsu went rigid for one moment before it began zipping around the groaning girl as if it were panicking. "Holy- _Where is my body_? Why am I like this? Oh mah gad! What's going on? Tell me tell me tell me!"

Mio snatched the annoying thing out of the air like one would do to a persistent bug. "Calm down!"

"Calm down? How do you expect me to calm down? I'm missing a body! My body-"

Fed up by the ceaseless chatter, Mio impulsively chucked Ritsu as far as she could but much to her disappointment, it came flying back to her palm like a boomerang. Wait, did this mean she was its owner now or something?

"How dare you manhandle me! Come on, tell me what's going on and I just might forgive you!"

"That's what I'd like to know too! This isn't making sense!" Frustrated, the raven-haired girl rubbed at her temples in hopes she would wake up somehow to regain her peace. She admitted that she tended to fantasize about magical worlds and mythical creatures but none of her imaginations even compared to this crazy reality she was forced to confront. Why was she stuck in a random plot that only existed in those crack entries she took great care to avoid reading? And if that was the case, shouldn't some unexpected help show up by now?

"Legend says that this boomerang once belonged to a princess of a faraway kingdom."

Mio blinked as a knight suddenly materialized beside the giant strawberry, like she had been standing there all along and only chose this moment to become visible. The long-haired stranger was even taller than the village idol, but her kind smile made the latter feel she could be trusted. Usually, the so-called 'unexpected help' was harmless, right?

"Some say that the princess fell into an eternal sleep after eating a poisonous banana, while others say that she was prickled by a broken drumstick and hit her forehead on a table. There are many variations," the newcomer paused and stared at Ritsu.

"What? I don't remember what happened!"

"Right," the knight nodded solemnly, as if unaffected by the ridiculous story she was reciting, "Either way, the princess's soul was separated from her body, and its whereabouts is unknown." She paused and waited for the boomerang to stop wailing before continuing, "An undetermined amount of time went by and she still awaits the help of whoever pulled the swor- ahem, boomerang from the magical fruit. Only the worthy one can help her reunite with her body, and that person is you, Akiyama Romio."

"O…kay…" Mio glanced at Ritsu, who was expressing its distress by doing somersaults in the air, and decided she did hold responsibility for unleashing this…creature upon mankind, "So what am I supposed to do then? And who are you? How do you know my name and where did you come from?"

"I am Sir Sachi, your most loyal knight," the tall girl bowed in respect but did not answer the other questions, "By freeing the boomerang, you are now the King."

"King Romio!" "Your Majesty!" "I like prince better…" "King!" The fangirls clamored and began discussing fervently amongst themselves. Mio had completely forgotten about them but she quickly blocked them out and focused on the new preposterousness at hand.

"The …King? Of what?"

Again, Sir Sachi did not answer. "Everyone must recognize you as the rightful ruler and we, the rest of the Knights of Triangular Table, will ensure that you obtain your rights."

The raven-haired girl held her breath and waited for more people to materialize out of thin air, but nothing happened and the knight continued speaking unconcernedly. "Since you were the only person to succeed in pulling out the swor- the boomerang, you must go on a journey to find the princess's lost body."

Mio almost groaned aloud. Why her?

"King Romio!" "No, don't leave us, Your Majesty!" "We haven't gotten married yet, Akiyama-sama!" "What, what said you have the right to do that!" "I happen to be the only one to fit her Majesty's heels-"

On second thought, going to a place far far away sounded quite appealing. Surely, being stuck with the annoying boomerang was much better than enduring these manic fangirls?

"How about you, Sir Sachi? Will you be accompanying us?"

"Unfortunately, I must stay within the vicinity of this village, but in the duration of your journey, I will take care of your Queen for you."

Silence. An admirer gasped and dramatically fell to the ground, but no one paid the unimportant character any attention.

"Queen...?" Mio felt really drained by all this nonsense. She was only eighteen and she hasn't dated anyone yet, let alone been married!

"You cheated on me?" Ritsu wept and shot towards her face. Growling in annoyance, she whacked the boomerang away but that did not deter it from zooming close once more. "I can't believe this! Here I am, thinking my brave prince might the one for me-"

"Quiet!" She grabbed the floating object and shook it roughly, "We just met and I don't even- you know what, never mind. Sir Sachi, who is this Queen you speak of?"

"You cherish her the most, Romio," the knight replied calmly.

Grey blue eyes slowly gleamed in fondness when comprehension dawned upon her. Of course, how could she not realize it sooner? "Yes, I love her very much," Mio ignored the horrified gasps echoing all around her, "but I see what you mean…I cannot bring her on the journey with me."

The fangirls buzzed loudly as they tried to figure out this Queen's identity, while Ritsu fell oddly silent. The village idol rubbed her temples before bowing to the knight in sincere gratitude. "I trust you to take great care of her, Sir Sachi."

"Of course, Your Majesty," she tapped the sunfish emblem on her armor and saluted.

Mio nodded and stared into space sadly. Yes, she would miss Elizabeth a lot. The bass had been her wonderful companion all these years while she created simple tunes to go with her lyrics.

"Wait, I'm not just hearing things am I? It sounds like you're willing to help me retrieve my body," Ritsu tilted to the side, seemingly subdued by its rescuer's change in attitude.

Mio brushed her fingers through her hair and sighed in resignation. "Of course, you've been forced to sleep all this time when you could be out enjoying the world like a normal girl."

Maybe it was her imagination, but the boomerang seemed to darken a few shades at her words.

"Besides, I'm obligated to go, aren't I? I did pull you out of the strawberry after all. I still don't understand this matter about being King but I do know you can't stay in this form," she said firmly, surprised at her own decision. However, the whole day had been so weird that that going with the flow actually made sense. And perhaps something interesting might happen along this journey. "I might get my inspiration back too."

"Inspiration? Are you a writer or what?"

"I…write lyrics and sometimes sing to myself," Mio muttered, feeling shy at revealing her hobby to a stranger.

"Cool! Can I hear you sing? Sing for me, oh Romio!"

"No!" The irritation returned at full force. "And don't call me that. Mio's fine."

"D'aww, come on, Mio~"

The village idol and the floating boomerang bantered back and forth, while all the other characters completely faded into the background like they never existed in the first place and were only there for space-filler. The origin of the giant strawberry was still unexplained, the Akiyamas were not informed of their daughter's departure and did not seemed worried either, and there were so many things Mio should have done before she agreed to this impromptu trip.

But logic and reason took a back seat due to Ritsu's constant distractions, as well as Mio's inner desire to experience a magical adventure.

And thus began the unlikely pair's epic journey.

Without any preparations whatsoever.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Needless to say, this story is** crack.**

Naturally, there are so many unexplained details but I guess I'm allowed to get away with those :3;; I tried to keep every character as true to their canon selves as possible, so hopefully any OOC they have is within reason.

It's my first time narrating in this manner too, so I don't know how it came out. Any feedback is welcome :3

Inspired by Athyra-senpai's _A Reverse Cinderella Tale_.

Hopefully people got some chuckles out of this :3;;;

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Short Preview:**

_They wove between the trees and avoided stepping into muddy ground, even though the raven-haired girl was shaking so much from the hoots and howls echoing in the ominous forest. She also heard a distant voice yelling "Jaga-jan!" but she probably imagined it._

_However, her fear completely disappeared the moment they stepped into a clearing._

_Where a cute girl with soft triangular ears and a bushy tail was setting up the picnic table._


	2. Tale I Aesop Forest to the West

**A/N:** Thanks for reading :3 I'm glad people liked the…randomness of this story so far! Stressful week, thus another chapter (that and I need to write something light-hearted)

Without further ado, here's the first stop of Romio and Jurietsu's adventure.

Warning: An increase in crack content up ahead

Warning2: Do not try to visualize. Seriously. No joke.

Disclaimer: I don't own K-on, but if I do, making omakes like this might be fun X3

Thanks to ghikiJ for beta as usual :3

* * *

><p>"Ow ow ow! Stop throwing me so hard!"<p>

Mio rolled her eyes and caught Ritsu as the boomerang spun back to her palm. The yellow object was quite useful, she decided. It acted as a weapon to ward off forest creatures as well as a compass that pointed to the direction where the princess's body supposedly lied.

"Geez, I didn't know you like it rough but remember I'm a delicate maiden here-"

However, it was only day one of her journey and she was already growing tired of Ritsu. The floating item would not stop bothering her about her singing no matter how many times Mio refused to do so.

And that did not agree with her already raw nerves.

Out of habit, she moved her hands until they were positioned like they about to play a bass. She felt especially homesick and missed Elizabeth dearly. Therefore, by pretending she was doing her favorite pastime, something that always erased her fears without fail, she should be able to feel more at ease with her surroundings.

"…what are you doing?"

Mio ignored the boomerang's quizzical spins and continued to air-play, hoping the imaginary tenors would comfort her agitated mind.

"Hey, don't ignore me!"

"Shush, I miss playing my bass."

Ritsu flipped slowly like it was in deep thought. "Ooooh, that's what you're doing? I thought you were imagining perverted stuff and molesting whoever's on your mind, y'know, with all that rubbing~"

Mio almost heard the deafening shriek of her instrument dropping. "W-W-WHAT?"

"Tsk tsk, Mio Mio Mio, you know what they say, it's always the docile-looking ones who- hey!"

The raven-haired girl grabbed the damn boomerang and seriously contemplated in snapping it in half. While she was being indecisive, Ritsu squirmed fervently in her grip, "Geez, instead of an imaginary bass, you can just play me-"

"No, thank you!"

She tossed the boomerang behind her shoulder and decided to observe the surroundings in case their silly banter notified hungry creatures of their presence. Grey-blue eyes darted around her surroundings like a skittish critter, afraid that demons would attack her at any moment. It was the only reason she endured Ritsu's complaints because the boomerang was her sole companion through this dark forest, and the one thing that kept her from seizing in fear.

She blamed her naivety for thinking this place might resemble a fairy tale setting, which was supposed to include rainbows and unicorns.

"Hmm, you should sing if you're really that scared," the yellow object bopped exasperatedly.

"N-no! Won't my voice attract predators? We must be as quiet as possible," Mio whispered harshly, "We'll just hurry and leave this forest as soon as pos-hyaaah!"

She stared at the rustling bushes with wide eyes. Was Ritsu right? Did monsters really live here?

"Listen!"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Tale I – The Aesop Forest to the West**

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

In spite of living near this forest all her life, Mio knew nothing about it. The only thing she knew was never to approach it, especially not alone, or nightmarish demons would slaughter her like livestock.

Gulping nervously, she wrung the boomerang hard in spite of its pained squeaks, and waited for a scary monster to burst out from the shrubs. She breathed rapidly and strained her ears, ready to bolt at any sharp noise.

Much to her relief, only a harmless-looking girl emerged from the shades. She was wearing a red hood over her russet tresses, and two scruffy sidetails poked out from beneath the fabric to make it seem like a hat. Skipping and humming, she merrily swung a wicker basket as if she was going on a picnic. When the newcomer spotted Mio, she waved enthusiastically and didn't seem to notice the floating boomerang.

"Yo, fellow travellers, fancy meeting you here! Name's Jun! Want a doughnut?" The girl held out her basket to display the assorted flavors of round desserts she had.

"U-um, it's okay," Mio was unused to such forward behavior but she was growing tolerant of it after her exposure to Ritsu's impulsiveness. "So…Jun, what are you doing here alone in the forest? Are you on your way to visit someone, a relative maybe?"

"Ha! If she visits her grandma with so many doughnuts, the old lady's gonna keel," Ritsu flailed about like a buzzing bee while Jun grinned in agreement, still unsurprised by the floating boomerang as if it were a natural occurrence.

"Nope, not my grandma. I'm on my way to meet the Wolf!"

"The Wolf! Why would you do that?"

"Hey, don't worry, it's fine!" The russet-haired girl chuckled when she saw Mio's terrified expression, "She's completely harmless! You know what, why don't you two come with me and I'll prove it to you!"

Without waiting for the taller girl's reply, she turned around and began walking down a shady path. Ritsu immediately zipped after her, leaving Mio with no choice but to follow. They wove between the trees and avoided stepping into muddy ground, even though the raven-haired girl was shaking so much from the hoots and howls echoing in the ominous forest. She also heard a distant voice yelling "Jaga-jan!" but she probably imagined it.

However, her fear completely disappeared the moment they stepped into a clearing.

There was a cute girl with soft triangular ears and a bushy tail was setting up the picnic table. She was spreading a sheet with sunfish imprints on it, which made the marine-life icon stand out amidst the greens. Mio thought she saw the picture somewhere recently but could not recall.

"I brought some guests, Ui."

The ponytailed girl's velvety ear tweaked at the call. With her tail wagging amiably, she turned around and smiled at them in greeting. "Welcome. Please make yourself comfortable and don't hesitate to enjoy these snacks!"

"Hey, so you're the Wolf? Cool!" Ritsu flew in front of her and slowly spun around her in an appraising way, "You don't look scary at all!"

Like Jun, Ui did not look surprised to see the talking boomerang, which made Mio wonder if she was the only weird one here. Nevertheless, the heroine did take a quick liking to the friendly Wolf due to her demeanor and adorable ears. When the latter invited her to stay with them for lunch, she agreed heartily and felt maybe this journey wasn't so terrible. Jun then somehow produced a wide variety of food from her small basket, but Mio felt too hungry to ponder about how the amount of items did not match up with the space allotted for that small container.

After all, she had learned not to question unnatural occurrences too much since the first paragraph of the prologue.

"Aww, everything looks so yummy! I want to eat too. This isn't fair! I want my body back!" The boomerang seemed to wilt before it flopped onto the picnic table with a soft thump.

Mio sighed exasperatedly, "I already promised you I will try to get your body back, so you'll just have to endure it for now."

"I don't wanna~" Ritsu rolled across the sheet and inadvertently speared through a loaf of bread. "Ooommfff! Get me out o' here!"

Giggling, Ui gently picked up the boomerang and placed it inside a bowl, mindful that its tip was not dipped in the lukewarm broth. "How is it, Ritsu-san?"

Mio did not know how it was possible, but she could see the yellow object grinning in bliss. "It's awesome~ Sank U!"

"Ne ne, Mio-san, so what's this journey about?" Jun took off the red hood and re-tied it on her head like a bandanna. "It sounds like fun! Maybe I could go with you guys!" Then she proceeded to make heroic poses, while the affable Wolf clapped her hands at her friend's antics.

Alarmed that someone would voluntarily join this journey, Mio immediately talked about her humble origins and explained how she received this 'sacred mission', quoting Ritsu. After a vague description where the important details were disregarded, Jun's expression turned grave as she and Ui exchanged wary looks.

"What? Why do you guys look so tense?" Mio asked cautiously. Even Ritsu seemed to be observing the two from its impromptu bath.

"So…the direction you're supposed to go to is the West, right?" Jun rubbed her chin, "once you leave the forest, you will see the Great Plains and beyond that stands the most magnificent castle, or so the rumors said. But those Plains… they're guarded by fearsome beasts! No one knows what they are because no one ever returned alive."

"R-really? Then what are we supposed to do? I should have insisted Sir Sachi to accompany us, or even borrow one of her weapons," Mio frowned and tapped the table with her index finger. Somewhere at the back of her mind, she heard a voice chiding that there were so many things she should have done.

The raven-haired girl firmly ignored that voice.

"Heh, you have me, the great Ritsu-sama! Don't worry, everything will be just fine!" The boomerang floated out of the soup and shook a few times before rolling across a napkin to dry itself.

She completely ignored this one as well, except it was much louder thus harder to block.

"Hmm, maybe we should ask your sister to help them, Ui," even as the russet-haired girl muttered that, she did not look confident at all.

"Onee-chan?" The Wolf's ears perked up. "That would work, Jun-chan! Onee-chan should be here any moment. You see, people used to laugh at her about how slow she was. She wants to become the sister I'd be proud of, so she went on a journey to train hard and now," the bushy tail was rigid with pride, "she's the fastest and strongest person in this forest! I'm sure she can help you, Mio-san, Ritsu-san."

The heroine felt nervous at the sight of sparkles and glitters bursting from behind Ui as she continued to describe her older sister in great details. Jun noticed Mio's befuddled stare and shrugged nonchalantly.

"Siscon," the russet-haired girl mouthed. "Possible yandere if provoked wrongly."

Mio blinked slowly. _What's a yandere?_

On the other side, Ritsu seemed to be quite enthusiastic about the subject. "Oho~? The Big Bad Wolf huh? I can't wait to meet her! She must be awes-"

Though unsure why the boomerang stopped talking, the heroine finally returned her attention to it anyway, but she spotted a quick movement from the corner of her eyes and looked up.

A shadow suddenly hopped off a moving pink fluff of cloud and dropped from the sky!

The figure fell through the forest canopy nearby and landed in a heap on the ground with a painful thud. Undeterred, the newcomer jumped right back up, completely unharmed by the free fall that would have killed an ordinary person.

The brunette looked nothing like the Wolf except for their similar facial features and shade of hair. She had a long monkey tail and wore a turtle shell on her back, which must have saved her life from the botched descent.

Yes, Mio liked this explanation. No one with a sane mind would wear that in public.

Then again, this newcomer wore an outfit made entirely of pink leaves. The unfortunate heroine felt her veins twinge in warning.

After hastily dusting the twigs off her forest-y clothes, the brunette pulled out something from her hair and somehow transformed it into a large red guitar! She then brandished it in front of her in what appeared to be a cool pose.

"Ya-ho~"

Ritsu twitched. Mio did too.

"Onee-chan!"

"Ui~"

The two protagonists suddenly felt like they were part of the scenery as the Wolf and the Monkey embraced each other. Birds were chirping, critters seemed to be cheering, and even the clouds appeared to be dancing in celebration. While this was a heartwarming moment to witness, it felt rather abrupt to have their screen time shifted towards two supposedly supporting characters.

Needless to say, Ritsu was not amused. "Hey, don't forget us! This is our story!"

"Shh! Don't disturb them. They haven't seen each other for a long time," Mio immediately smothered the boomerang with her hand.

"Oomff! You sure have a big hand-" The raven-haired girl grinded the damn thing harder into the table sheet. "Abuse!"

"Hush. Just let them enjoy their reunion."

"Actually," Jun idly flipped through the pages of a manga volume, which she fished out of her hammerspace basket. "They just saw each other yesterday."

"Doesn't this bother you? It's like you're forgotten or something!" Ritsu squeaked from beneath its confines.

"Meh," the russet-haired girl didn't look bothered at all, "It's the fate of a background character. I'm used to it."

"Well, I won't accept it! As one of the two people whose names appear under the summary of this story, I won't just stand by while my spotlight's getting stolen!" The boomerang harrumphed and shook off Mio's hand in stubborn defiance. Before the heroine could stop it, Ritsu shot towards the sisters in an incredible speed.

Yet, right before it rammed into the Monkey's forehead, the brunette swung her guitar like some kind of awesome kung-fu counter and knocked the boomerang so far that it flashed once and disappeared in the sky.

The unmotivated heroine tilted her head. Was this game over or something? If she hurried, she might be able to make it back to her village before sundown.

Of course, Ritsu came flying back to her waiting palm. Mio sighed in disappointment but she also felt relieved to see the energetic boomerang return for some reason. Luckily, she did not have to ponder about her irrational sentiment when the indignant princess yelled in rage. "Hey! How dare you attack me!"

Now that the spotlight changed, the Monkey finally noticed the two protagonists. And needless to say, she was also unsurprised to see the yellow object talking. "Oops~ It was reflex, I swear!" She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, blinking like an innocent puppy for extra effect, "I didn't mean it, I'm sorry! Forgive me~?"

Ritsu stopped its tirade and seemed to scrutinize at the brunette's face.

"Hey…you remind me of the monkey who dropped that strawberry on me gazillion years ago!"

"Huh?" Mio's voice was echoed by everyone in the clearing.

The boomerang's tone grew tearful. "Yes… I think I remember something now. You see, I was born on the mythical land of Jipangu. Smart, beautiful and popular. That's me, the great Jurietsu-sama…"

The raven-haired girl immediately stopped paying attention. She and Jun conversed while Ritsu continued to ramble about this supposedly heartrending tale that ended in the deaths of two young maidens. Ui was listening politely while her older sister seemed to be completely enraptured in the story.

"That's so sad! I'm very moved!" The Monkey sobbed theatrically and hugged the boomerang like they were long-lost friends. "My name is Yui, Ricchan! I've decided I'm going to follow you to the ends of earth to help you find your body!"

All the previous animosity was nowhere to be seen from the tragic princess. "You will? I'm so touched!"

"When we die, we'll die together, Ricchan!"

"Yes!"

"So sorry to interrupt this heartfelt moment," Mio folded her arms and breathed deeply before continuing, "First, the story you just told has nothing to do with the strawberry or the monkey-"

"What! That's not the point! Did you not hear how emotional-"

"I'm _still_ talking," the raven-haired girl whacked the boomerang none-so-gently, "and those are delusions."

"Violence!" Ritsu sniffled and hid behind its newfound comrade, who wiped away a few stray tears and sent her a woeful look.

Mio clenched her fist. "Well, you're still alive aren't you? There are too many inconsistencies!"

"Heh, I knew you were listening but you were too tsundere so you pretended you didn't-"

Mio would look back at this memory in the future and wonder how the boomerang didn't break after she wrung and stomped on it.

"Anyways," the heroine ignored Yui's dramatic wails as Ritsu laid immobile on the picnic table, "I think we should get going now. Thank you for the food, Ui-chan, Jun-chan."

"No problem!" The Wolf wagged her tail, while the russet-haired girl lied fast asleep on her lap.

"Wait! I'm coming with you!"

Mio raised an eyebrow. So this Yui was serious about her proclamation moments ago? The raven-haired girl then glanced at Ui helplessly, hoping the younger sister would stop the Monkey since they seemed inseparable.

The Wolf only smiled and pointed towards the forest. An instant later, Mio could hear harsh panting and rustling leaves as a small figure stumbled into the clearing.

Yui shot up from her vigil position beside the boomerang and dove for the newcomer. "Oh yeah, Azunyan, I won the race!"

"That was cheating, Yui-senpai! You aren't allowed to use your cloud!" The black-haired girl haughtily pushed away the brunette and dusted her overcoat in a few elegant pats. She was able to look classy even though she was still gasping for breath. She adjusted her monocle and glanced at a pocket watch before turning around to face Mio.

The heroine couldn't tell whether those were lop rabbit ears or the stranger's pigtails.

"Greetings, my name is Azusa," the Lop curtsied and lowered her tophat, "On behalf of Yui-senpai, I apologize for her behavior."

"Er…it's okay." After being bombarded by many pages of crack, Mio didn't know how to handle this sudden introduction of a normal character. Yui whined and wrapped her arms around Azusa, who ignored her and proceeded to sit down at the picnic table.

Nodding approvingly, the heroine decided that she and the newcomer would get along just fine.

Ui poured the Lop a cup of Earl Grey and served a plate of fish-shaped pastry with red bean fillings. Azusa nibbled on her dessert in a sophisticated manner even though Yui was nuzzling her everywhere.

Yes..._everywhere._

Mio would have to ask her how to handle a space-invading companion so calmly. Speaking of which, shouldn't the boomerang have recovered by now?

"Ne, Azusa-chan, will you go with Onee-chan?" Ui asked sincerely and held the Lop's hand. "Mio-san and Ritsu-san need help to cross the Plains."

Azusa was absolutely poised, unaffected by the Monkey attached to her back and Jun snuggling in her lap, having relocated from the bench. Garnet eyes flickered at the mention of the Plains, but she nodded and placed the cup back onto its dish with a refined movement.

"Certainly."

And so Romio and Jurietsu gained two companions on this epic journey.

Also, because the poor boomerang was still unconscious, this chapter will have to end thus.

Mio was unwilling to narrate more than necessary after all.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** I did warn this one is more crack than the previous one :3;;; Yes, even more fairytale and folklore references now. And finally, there appears to be some sort of more sinister (?) forces at work…? And the plot (?) is sort of clearer too…

I hope people enjoyed reading it!

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

**Short Preview:**

_The golden goose hopped off the dashing stranger's shoulder and began to chase Ritsu around. Mio glanced at the screeching boomerang and judged this to be harmless before turning to face the newcomer. _

_The sandy-haired girl briefly took off her feather-adorned hat and tapped her leather boots against the tree. "Travellers, are you also here to rescue the missing village maiden by any chance?"_

_Azusa pulled at Yui's tail and tried to shake the brunette out of her star-struck gaze. Mio could practically feel jealousy oozing out of the usually calm Lop. "Missing village maiden?"_

"_Indeed," the mysterious archer rested the heel of her boots on a protruding rock, "The Beast has claimed the Belle."_


	3. Tale II Honest Thought within Sherwood

**A/N:** Thanks for the feedback! I'm glad to hear people are still following (?) the intricate, deeply profound plot (?). Things are about to get complex (?) and wild … as well as the scales in the crack meter and somewhat more serious (?) context. I apologize the change in title though (if people's read my profile page before) I misread my outlines, sorry :3;;

Read on to find out what happens to R&J and their merry sidekicks in this chapter!

Warning: hmm… actually, you're more than welcome to try visualizing 83

Disclaimer: I don't own K-on nor the references

Special thanks to ghikiJ for beta as usual!

Thanks to YukiHirasawa for her fanart X3

* * *

><p>"Looks like we don't have to do anything."<p>

A girl with oval framed glasses said flatly, even if her deadpanned eyes never left her laptop. Her fingers seemed to be dancing tango as they mashed onto the keyboards with deadly accuracy. The screen flashed brightly across her spectacles, making the small rectangles an unconventional source of light in this dim room. The black-haired girl appeared to be quite absorbed in her 8-bit game of Snake to pay attention to her surroundings.

"Oh yes, it went better than I expected~"

The giggling speaker placed her mahogany fountain pen onto the table and brushed her slightly curly blonde tresses over her shoulder before standing up. She stretched leisurely, all the while smiling in contentment, and glanced down at the notebook she was writing in. The setting sun provided an enchanting glow through the large windows behind the girl and seemed to illuminate the elegant cursives upon the pages. Blue eyes twinkled in delight as they glanced over the chosen names with approval.

"Ojou-sama, would you like some tea?" Another blonde girl dressed in a frilly maid uniform spoke softly and stood attentively by the writer's desk.

"Oh, it's quite alright. I have to go to my part time job now," the lady, who did not appear much older than the maid, affectionately closed the notebook and brushed her thumb across the cover. "I'll be back soon~"

Humming, she left the room and smiled mysteriously at the door plaque, which had the emblem of a sunfish and the word 'Brigade' next to the crest.

"Perhaps I should check up on our dear knight and puppy after work. Hmm~"

As the blonde walked down the corridor, she glanced out of the windows to observe the endless stretch of savannahs and the numerous shadows prowling around the plains. These beasts were ever so diligent in guarding their Castle as they waited for their missing King's return.

She smiled at the thought and continued her merry way.

"Which is the missing King though? Ara, I suppose that's the fun~"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Tale II – An Honest Thought within Sherwood **

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"JAGAJAGA-JAN!"

The shrill wail of the electric guitar and the battle cry of its wielder seemed to create a specific sound wave that sent the converging shadows to their knees. These keening hyenas either curled up against the trees or collapsed onto the ground as Yui continued to strum her instrument, which was able to somehow function and project its tune without an amplifier or a plug.

"Why are there so many of them?" Mio yelped and covered herself with the turtle shell that the Monkey lent to her.

"Heh, numbers meant nothing to the great Ritsu-sama!"

The shivering heroine was actually quite frightened of these enormous predators that sprung out from the shades the moment the party stepped into the darker parts of the forest. Surprised that hyenas actually inhabited in this dense jungle, the black-haired girl had immediately chucked Ritsu out of reflex. Much to her shock, the boomerang spun in such high speed that it knocked an approaching hunter off its feet.

Everything became chaotic afterwards. Yui hopped off from her pink cloud and mightily swung her guitar to whack away another grunting hyena. Ritsu was grumbling about being thrown but gradually it really got into the fight, spiraling out of Mio's hand before she could fling it. And so the latter decided to just stand back and let her escorts handle it. The carnivores' creepy giggles sent chilling shivers down her spine and paralyzed her enough that she could not contribute much anyways, not that she had any weapon to help in the first place.

However, as afraid as she was, the heroine was also utterly amused (or rather, bemused) by how her travelling companions were fighting these hyenas. It was almost as if she was watching a circus performance, the way Yui flipped so acrobatically and twirled her guitar like some sort of kung-fu master, while Ritsu jabbed and rammed at the hyenas in tremendous velocity. Confused by this spinning object in the air, they could only whine and paw at it, but the boomerang was too agile for them.

While the borderline paranormal fray was happening at the duo's end, a very systematic art of disposal was delivered by the very sophisticated Lop near Mio.

"Hnnf, such ill-mannered curs," Azusa sniffed haughtily and shoved her cane at a hyena's throat, making it drop like a rock. She effortlessly dodged a lunge and struck the predator's ankle bone as it passed her, "Dishonorable, undisciplined…"

Even with her ruthless blows and the duo's rampaging attacks, there were still too many hyenas popping out of nowhere within this forest. Mio squeaked and huddled under the turtle shell as her rattled brain tried to figure out a way to end this fight before the combatants tire out.

Shouldn't an unexpected stranger show up and help them out of this pinch by now? The heroine shook her head, frowning. No, she must figure this out, somehow-

"Yui, let's do this!"

"Aye aye!"

The black-haired girl twitched when the brunette strum a special chord that seemed to resonate with Ritsu and caused it to flash! Seeing this, Azusa hopped towards Mio and hid behind the shell as well. The Lop then calmly took off her monocle, cleaned unhurriedly, and covered her eyes with those pigta- lop ears. Though baffled, Mio covered her eyes as well and was glad to have done so, because Ritsu suddenly began to shine so brightly that she was momentarily blinded even with all these shields.

When she dared to open her eyes again, all the hyenas were unconscious on the ground and none sprang from the shadows anymore.

"How the-?"

Ritsu, now perched on a grinning Yui's shoulder, laughed smugly, "You should've paid attention to our tragic tale, Mio-chuan~ See, Yui and I-"

The heroine blocked out the boomerang's chatters in case she rendered it unconscious again. While some background information might help her understand her companions' abilities better, her veins might be in danger of bursting from trying to make sense of their story. Yes, it was better this way. She did not want to carry an immobile object in her hand.

That would just be dumb.

"Whatever, let's just get moving already, before these hyenas wake up."

"I concur," Azusa prodded a fallen beast, earning a faint gurgle. "Let us make haste."

"Yes~" Yui jumped back up to her pink cloud and sped ahead with an audible zoom. Ritsu shot after her, determined not to lose to their impromptu race.

Mio rubbed her temples. "Don't go too far!"

"Let them be. They shall return momentarily and they," the Lop adjusted her monocle ominously, "shall receive appropriate punishments."

"I see…" The heroine smiled stiffly. While Azusa appeared to be the most practical and serious one of them all, she was quite aloof and thus difficult to get along with. As Mio watched the Lop giggle evilly and classily clean her cane with a velvet handkerchief, she couldn't help but feel sorry for the duo when they return. Who knew what was on Azusa's mind?

Sighing, the heroine thought about her home village and wondered how her dear Queen was faring with the knight. She was too impulsive to leave her precious bass to a complete stranger! What if Sir Sachi eloped with Elizabeth? Blue grey eyes widened in alarm at a dangerous thought. What if the knight tried playing her-?

"You are quite a peculiar heroine, Romio."

The black-haired girl blinked at the Lop, who gazed at her appraisingly like she was a fascinating occurrence. Perhaps Azusa was right? After all, Mio was the only ordinary person (or rather, the only complete human) in this whole group and thus, as the odd one out, she must appear strange to them. However, she was also someone who only pondered about normal matters, a civilian forced to go on this journey filled with queer events of epic proportions. Indeed, she was the only one with a sane, reasonable mind.

The heroine folded her arms and nodded in approval. It was simply unfortunate that she was the minority here that she was labeled as strange. If she was back at her home village…

No, there were crazy fangirls. This alternative was much better. Mio would just have to pray she had enough patience and adaptability to face even more randomness in the future.

"Azunyan~!"

Lips curving sinisterly, the Lop stood up and brushed invisible dust off her overcoat. The moment Yui flew into range, she was knocked off the pink cloud by a well-aimed jab from the cane.

"Uuuaaa! W-why did you do that?" The Monkey sniffled miserably from where she was sprawled on the ground while holding the bump on her head. "Azunyan hates me!"

"I do not hate you," Azusa spoke calmly as she tapped the cane on the ground, which signaled Yui to scramble to a proper sitting position. "What have I mentioned about going off on your own? I promised Ui I would keep an eye on you, Yui-senpai."

"G-gomenasai!" The Monkey wrapped her arms around the Lop's waist and nuzzled her tummy apologetically. Even though Azusa continued to reprimand in a curt voice, a small, affectionate smile could be seen on her face.

"Ano…" While Mio was amused by the Lop's tsundere (that's what Jun said, right?) behavior, she also felt uneasy because she couldn't spot Ritsu anywhere. "Where's that baka?"

"Ricchan's not here?"

"Did you lose her, Yui-senpai?"

"S-she was right behind me!"

A surge of apprehension consumed the heroine and drove her to sprint down the path where the Monkey came from. Irritated yet concerned, she called out for Ritsu yet there was no sign of the yellow object anywhere. It was like trying to find a needle in a hay sack, except she couldn't burn down a whole forest just to find a boomerang! When adrenaline gradually receded, she regretted leaving her companions' side to venture into this thick foliage alone, weaponless and directionless.

"Over here~"

Entranced by the mystic quality of the voice, Mio walked through the shrubberies and discovered a hidden path. Anxious but filled with determination, she hastened her steps towards the glowing destination ahead of her. Grey blue eyes lit up in amazement at the sight of a beautiful lake and the silver mist that lightly encased the area.

Could this finally be the fairy tale of unicorns and rainbows she fantasized?

Upon closer inspection, however, she noticed chunks of dry ice lining the shores, and a blonde girl around her age floating in the middle of the lake.

Mio rubbed her eyes and squinted. Yes, the stranger was really floating.

"Did you lose something important?" She had a soft, faraway voice, yet the heroine could not pay attention to her words at all. First of all, the blonde was wearing plastic wings and a heart-shaped bow was slung across her shoulder. Secondly, there was a really ghetto banner that says, "We also sell yakisoba!"

But most importantly, the lady's eyebrows were shaped just like takuan slices.

"Gomen ne, we're out of yakisoba at the moment," the stranger noticed her curious gaze and answered promptly. "And our pickled radishes are also out of stock too…"

"Oh, s-sorry," flustered that she was caught staring, Mio spoke without hesitation, "Um, so…yes, you're right, I did lose something very important…er, someone, I guess."

"Wonderful~" The angel cosplayer clapped her hands together, obviously pleased by her answer, "And so I shall ask you, prince Romio."

The black-haired girl didn't even have time to wonder how the lady knew her name when the lake began to glow and the air seemed to hum with magical energy.

"Which princess did you lose? Forehead version-"

Mio twitched involuntarily at the image of a girl with short hair reflecting on the lake's surface. She wore a highly irritating grin even though her eyes were squinted closed in obvious humor.

"-or Bangs-down version-"

The heroine felt her face burn. The girl was still the same one, yet her grin now seemed shy yet beguiling. And she looked really, really cute. Loose ochre bangs hung loosely over her sharp amber eyes, which seemed to be staring through her thoughts. Mio blushed even harder.

"-or…my my," the blonde giggled mirthfully before continuing, "or, this headb- this simple boomerang?"

"Bangs-down version," the black-haired girl replied immediately. Indeed, there was no hesitation whatsoever.

"WHAT! MIO! HOW COULD YOU?"

Wincing at the piercing wail, Mio slowly turned around to find the boomerang practically vibrating in rage. The heroine flushed in embarrassment but quickly covered it with an annoyed yell. "Ritsu! Where have you been? I've been looking for you!"

"Hnnf! _I _was looking for _you_! Yui and Azusa are really worried, y'know! I just got caught between a branch, that's why Yui went back ahead of me!"

"Oh…" The black-haired girl blushed darker, swearing not to act so impulsively in the future. What had gotten into her, anyways? "Sorry."

"Feh! And here you are, totally cheating on m- well," the boomerang twirled contemplatively, "I guess it doesn't really count, since all three are technically me…"

"E-eh?" Mio's cheeks reddened again, this time from a different reason, "T-that's how you really look like-?"

"Well, I don't know how long it's been since I've been separated from my body, my hair could be really long already. But yeah, that's me," Ritsu wiggled smugly, "What, fell for my good looks?"

"N-No! I was just surprised by the color of your eyes, that's all!"

"What's wrong with amber eyes? That Azusa's are even weirder!"

"I guess so," Mio thought about the Lop's slitted pupils and garnet irises and inwardly agreed with Ritsu. Glad at the change of topic, the heroine pressed her cool hands against her cheeks, hoping to reduce their heat. "But still, amber of all the colors…are you like a werewolf or something?"

"You sure have weird imagination, oh Mio-chuan~ Although, that'd be cool… and prissy Azusa is a were-kitten-"

"It seems like you two are not quite there yet…although, you are on the right path for certain," the blonde lady, who wore a dreamy smile while they argued, finally spoke up.

"Huh? Oh yeah, who are you anyways, how do you know what I look like?" Ritsu flew towards the stranger, whose silhouette dissipated with the mist like it was an apparition all along. "Woah, what the-?"

"This is only my part time job," the mysterious giggle echoed through the woods, "You might be seeing me sometime in the future though, Mio-chan, Ricchan~"

The black-haired girl tried to figure where she had heard the lilt in the blonde's voice, but the memory slipped away before she could examine it. As the boomerang huffily floated back to her waiting palm, Mio decided that this little detour was actually worthwhile.

After all, she got a glimpse of Princess Jurietsu. A very cute glimpse.

* * *

><p>"We've been going around in circles for hours, Ricchan~" Yui grumbled from above them, completely flopped on her pink cloud. "I'm hungry!"<p>

"As am I," Azusa pursed her lips, while her lop ears looked even more wilted against her head if that was even possible, "I wish to secure a location to rest and dine."

"I'm doing my best guys!" Ritsu flailed exasperatedly, "I don't know why but I can't pinpoint directions like usual! Yui, why don't you fly up and check?"

"I don't have energy…" The pink cloud suddenly poofed and caused the Monkey to drop onto the screeching boomerang, "See! I need food~!"

"Do I look like food to you?"

"Well, you do look like a banana…"

"What! I'm a pineapple! Wait, that's not even the point-!"

"Cease this nonsense immediately!"

Mio ignored their banters as she tried to make sense of their current location. She had been leaving marks on tree barks and checking the sky for any stars that might hint a direction. However, the dense canopy top was making it difficult for her to even get a proper view of the sky.

How could she navigate out of the woods without a compass that actually worked?

"This must be a fateful meeting. Greetings, ladies and boomerang."

The four of them looked up to see a figure standing on a branch and leaning casually against the trunk. Where did she come from and how long had she been there already? Yui's tail stiffened as she gaped at the silhouette, obviously impressed by her cool looks. Azusa narrowed her eyes and seemed to be hissing, even though she was supposed to be a Lop and thus should not be able to possibly make such a sound.

A golden goose hopped off the dashing stranger's shoulder and began to chase Ritsu around. Mio glanced at the screeching boomerang and judged this to be harmless before turning to face the newcomer.

The sandy-haired girl briefly took off her feather-adorned hat and tapped her leather boots against the tree. "Travellers, are you also here to rescue the missing village maiden by any chance?"

Azusa pulled at Yui's tail and tried to shake the brunette out of her star-struck gaze. Mio could practically feel jealousy oozing out of the usually calm Lop. "Missing village maiden?"

"Indeed," the mysterious archer rested the heel of her boots on a protruding rock, "The Beast has claimed the Belle."

Though unnerved by the mention of a Beast, Mio asked hopefully, "You mean there is a village nearby?"

"It is three days away from here."

"Dawww! We won't be able to make it that far!" Yui slumped against Azusa, drained off energy, "We'll be stuck here forever!"

"Are you lost, fair maiden? Fear not, I will lead you out of this forest. All I ask is that I must accomplish my mission first."

"Yes! Help us-"

"Yui-senpai!" The Lop growled through gritted teeth, and Mio swore she saw fangs.

"Sure, this sounds like fun!" Ritsu cackled, seemingly triumphant at being able to collar the flailing goose, "The Beast huh? That sounds like a challenge! Where are you going anyways?"

"Castle Shaft," the sandy-haired girl replied in amusement, "it is just beyond that patch of woods there."

Mio really didn't want to meet this terrifying beast, but they didn't have a choice anyways. Besides, it was rather entertaining to watch Azusa so worked up over Yui's supposed fascination with the stranger. Those two were really adorable, she decided, unlike this annoying boomerang.

The heroine nodded grimly, "We will accompany you and try to help you save this village maiden. My name is Romio, this is Jurietsu, and that's Yui and Azusa."

"Himeko at your service," the archer took off her feather-adorned hat and bowed courteously, "If the rumors I've heard are correct, this should not take long at all."

"Awesome! Ne ne Hime-chan, you're an archer but you also fight with your sword right?" Yui pointed to the sheathed rapier, eyes still lit in excitement. Growling, Azusa appeared to be rolling her cane in her palm, as if testing her weapon's durability.

"We should totally duel!" Ritsu piped up and tried to fly towards the sandy-haired girl, only to be pounced by the playful goose.

"No, we should get going immediately," Mio scowled and snatched the boomerang out of midair before the golden fowl could nibble on its tip. "Please lead the way, Himeko."

"My pleasure."

True to their new companion's words, the destination was not far at all. In fact, right after the party stepped through the woods, the environment changed drastically in comparison to the jungle-like forests. It was a clearing full of tall grasses that towered above them and the air was arid instead of humid.

However, there was no gigantic structure in sight.

As if hearing their unspoken question, the sandy-haired girl unsheathed her rapier and began slashing through some of the pesky vegetation before pointing at a silhouette camouflaged behind the weeds. "Here we are, Castle Shaft."

It was an outrageously bright and enormous tipi full of rips and holes.

"What the hell is that-" Ritsu snickered loudly but Azusa swiftly dealt a harsh blow on the boomerang that smacked it into the ground, muffling the rest of its sentence. Yui, who was about to comment on this bizarre sight, made a zipping motion across her lips and diligently stood beside the fuming Lop.

"Stay quiet, the enemy may hear us."

Mio nodded in agreement and warily appraised the tipi, wondering why it was given a name as impressive as Castle Shaft. Then she was suddenly reminded of the giant strawberry back in her hometown. Shrugging, she decided this tent-like dwelling must be similar to that inexplicable existence. The important thing was the Beast's whereabouts within the abode, not the reason behind its name. "What's your battle plan?"

"The Beast only comes out when the sun is gone," Himeko spoke quietly, her grip on the rapier unwavering. However, she still had an amused aura around her, like this was an entertaining game instead of a serious mission. "The sky has already darkened. The time will come soon enough."

The black-haired girl noticed the dimming glint on the sword's sunfish crest and quickly looked up. Indeed, the orange glow was receding, replaced by fathomless indigo. They must have spent most of the afternoon in the woods before Himeko found them. Gulping nervously, she returned her focus back to the tipi and braced herself for whatever massive creature that might burst out behind the flaps.

"O-oi, the goose is glowing!" Ritsu jolted in alarm, halting the process of wiping mud off a very angry Azusa's pristine coat.

"Ah, right, it is night time," Himeko smiled mysteriously and took a step back as if to give her flashing companion some space.

Right before their wide eyes, the golden fowl shifted into a humanoid form of a short girl wearing a feathered dress! She brushed through her short, curly blonde hair and smiled up at the tall archer.

"Phew, finally, I'm tired of looking up at people…my neck's not getting any longer though."

"Welcome back, Ayame."

"It talks!" Ritsu yelled before anyone could stop it. Mio grabbed the boomerang with both hands and squeezed hard in warning.

"Says the floating boomerang," Ayame chuckled good-naturedly. "Of course a swan like me can talk too!"

"I thought you are a goose," Azusa commented briskly while maintaining a firm grip on Yui's tail. The Monkey was staring at the blonde's dress, obviously curious about the feathers adorning the velvet fabric.

"Oh, I'm just smaller than your average swans-"

"I've been waiting for you all… _now die_!"

Cringing at the eerie and shrill voice, Mio turned around to see a humongous shadow with horns and a really creepy mask gliding out of the tipi. Himeko readied her stance as the blonde quickly went behind her, frowning nervously. Yui held out her guitar in front of Azusa in a protective manner, while the Lop clung to her cane and growled in anticipation.

"Yosh, we'll talk later! Bring it on, Beast! We'll-" The boomerang squirmed feebly in the black-haired girl's death grip. "Mio? Oi, Mio-?"

The heroine had already turned white and thus can no longer narrate.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Cliffhanger? Some people have already guessed the Beast's identity…but we'll see :3

Also, there's a reason why hyenas are used in the beginning, not because I dislike them or anything :3;; The obvious crossover reference is there because… it could be counted as a myth or a new religion/cult…

Any feedback is welcome!

P.S. For anyone interested, I have something I want to say but I'd rather do it on my profile page. Please go check it out.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Preview:

"_Could you help us get across the strait? Or do you know any path that we can take?" Mio smiled at the stranger patiently while Yui and Azusa watched the exchange in fascination and curiosity. _

_The mermaid's very bored expression did not waver as she expertly twirled a corkscrew shell and stared blandly at the black-haired girl._

"_Geez, the myth is right. Mermaids really can't talk! She probably doesn't even understand us, tch," Ritsu poked the stranger's cheek in annoyance. "Come on, just gesture or something! We're running out of time here!"_

_The boomerang then committed a fatal mistake out of exuberance. As it flailed about in exasperation, its tip caught the strap of her clam bikini top and pulled it off._

_The air froze. _

"_Oh mah gad-! I-I-I'm so sorry!" Panicking, Ritsu hid behind Mio, who glanced at the now eerily calm water around them in dread. _

_The auburn-haired mermaid slowly tugged the top back on, her stormy eyes never leaving the quivering boomerang. _

_Then, she snapped the corkscrew shell in half._

_Instantly, colossal shadows burst out from beneath the waves and loomed over them with its eight thrashing tentacles and its eight dragonic heads. Sixteen moon-like eyes stared down at the party in sheer malevolence._

"_Oh crap."_

_Mio couldn't have said it better herself. _


End file.
